Installing a custom firmware on your Wi-Fi router is like God Mode for your home network. You can see everything going on, boost your Wi-Fi signal, beef up your security, and even do advanced tricks like install your own VPN. Still, there are so many options available it can be tough to pick the right one. Here’s…

It's been a few month since PlayStation 4's troubled 2.0 update, and while Sony hasn't made any announcements about what's coming, players have started getting invitations to beta test the next update. It looks like the PS4 is getting some cool new features, including system-level button remapping and a proper…

Few routers utilize their full potential out of the box because their firmware limits their functionality. Thanks to an open-source project called DD-WRT, you can unlock your router’s potential to broadcast a stronger signal, manage network traffic, remotely access all your home computers, and a whole lot more. …

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a camera just for features like motion sensing, time lapse, RAW images, and control over exposure and shutter speeds. If you have a simple Canon point-and-shoot, you can customize it with these features and a whole lot more using the CHDK enhancement.

With great hardware comes great opportunity. Thanks to the internet and clever hacking communities, there are plenty of ways to boost the capabilities of your everyday gadgets. Some save you money, some add features, and some are the entire package. Here are our top 10 favorite hardware boosting hacks.

Motorola has locked down a few of their phones to prevent "rooting" and unauthorized firmware being run on them, and it looks like that's going to continue. That's based on the company's previous statements, as well as a YouTube comment from a Motorola employee advising a would-be root enthusiast to "buy elsewhere."…

If you've got one of Canon's amazing video-capable DSLRs, you know you've got a powerful camera. What you may not know is that you can add some incredible features, for free, with an open-source firmware add-on called Magic Lantern. Here's how.

If you love your video-capable Canon DSLR but wish it had more video options, Magic Lantern can help you out. Offering a number of additional features for your camera, it can aid in your ability to shoot some amazing video.

Android: Cyanogen's been putting up release candidates for the Froyo-based version 6.0 for awhile, but if you've been waiting for something more stable, you can now get the unbeatable combination of Froyo and Cyanogen for your Android device.

If you're still a loyal iPhone 3G owner and upgraded to iOS 4, you've probably noticed one major new thing: slowness. You can downgrade to 3.1.3, but more than one Gizmodo commenter suggest a fix that's worked for them.

If you're upgrading to a faster, stronger wireless router, don't chuck your older Wi-Fi box. With the magic of DD-WRT, you can turn your older wireless router into a range-expanding Wi-Fi repeater to cover everywhere you need a connection.

If you're an early adopter of Android feeling left in the cold with your phone stuck on a 1.6 build, the hacker community offers an alternative—bust your warranty wide open and install CyanogenMod 5.07, a nearly complete 2.1 upgrade.

One month after Google's cease-and-desist action, the popular custom CyanogenMOD Android firmware has hit a stable, presumably legal release point. It's as up-to-date as you can get on an Android phone, and it nearly fixes a seriously annoying slowdown issue.

Jailbreaking iPhones is something the Dev-Team and others have been able to pull off with every new hardware and software release from Apple. That might halt, at least temporarily, with new jailbreak-resistant firmwares included in the newest iPhone 3GS models.

"Rooting" and loading a custom ROM onto your Android phone isn't something you can pick up and wing until you figure it out. With new builds arriving all the time, the Cyanogen Mod, our favorite way to root and speed up Android models, has launched a wiki site that gives the low-down on how to install, theme, fix, and…

As promised, custom ROM builder Cyanogen has delivered an unofficial firmware with speed enhancements, system and app backups to SD cards, and a few other great tweaks—without the copied Google apps that caused a cease and desist last time around. It's definitely a bit more tricky to install this time around—you'll…

Remember the Canon Hacker's Development Kit, aka CHDK—the open-source firmware that turns your point-and-shoot into a super-camera? Here's how bug enthusiast Tim used CHDK and DIY ingenuity for better macro results from his point-and-shoot.